Centripugal-brapt radiator



S. W. RUSHMORE CENTRIFUGAL DRAFT RADIATOR Filed Sept. 13, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l v s. w. RUSHMORE CENTRIFUGAL DRAFT RADIATOR Filed Sept. 13, 1921' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Mattozneu Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES SAMUEL W. RUSHMORE, OF PLAINIEIELD, NEWV JERSEY.

CENTRIFUGAL-DRAFT RADIATOR.

Application filed September 13, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL 1V. RUsI-r- .wronn, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Centrifugal-Draft Radiators, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates more particularly to air cooled radiators and con densers of the type of which the cooling air is discharged radially in all directions from a centrifugal blower which is more or less completely surrounded by coils or tubes through which circulates the water, steam or other fluid which is to be cooled.

One. object of the invention is to improve the mechanical efficiency of the blower and to insure a more even and direct distribution of the cooling air throughout the entire expanse of the cooling surfaces.

In radiators of this type such as is commonly employed on certain types of motor vehicles, the blower being of the ordinary centrifugal or paddle wheel type, the air is discharged in tangential directions in stead of. radially. The tangential direction involves a greater distance of travel for the air in traversing the circumferential annulus in which the radiator tubes are disposed but the desire for compactness, cheapness and simplicity of construction has resulted in arranging matters so that there are various non-uniform obstructions to free flow of air, as for instance, a surrounding frame of which the top, bottom and side members, particularly the side members, ob struct the escape of the air and bank up the pressure; also the supply and outlet headers for the radiator pipes extend radially inward, close to the path ofthe blower, so that they naturally obstruct the tangentially driven air blast. The result of these structural peculiarities, as I have discovered, is to localize the draft and concentrate on certain arcs of the circumference, leaving a large part of the radiator surface ineffective for cooling purposes.

For the purpose of obviating the above defeet and for the purpose of securing other advantages, which need not be enumerated, my present invention consists in employing a blower wheel preferably of the turbine, or multi-vane type, in combination with a stator ring of suitable curved blades to re-- ceive the air impelled by the blower wheel Serial No. 500,380.

and to direct it substantially radially outward. As a result, the. forcing of the air draft is much more positive and there is much greater tendency to uniform volume of discharge from all pointsof the periphery. Hence the draft is much more effective as against the points of back pressure, as for instance, where the sides of the frame closely approach the radiator pipes. Moreover, the directionof the air being radial, it flows parallel with the radially disposed headers. Hence the headers do not act as windbreaks and do not deflect the draft from those parts of the radiator tubes that are on the lee sides of the respective headers. The above and other features of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation with parts broken away to section on the line 11,

- Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22, Fig. 1.

In these drawings, the general construction of the radiator is similar to that com monly employed on certain makes of motor trucks, the differences being those relating to my present invention.

The frame comprises side members. 1, 2, rigidly secured to transverse bottom member 3, and top member 4. i The top member an opening 7 which may be used inlet connected to the discharge side of the cooling system of an automobile engine. The lower member 3 is a similar casting having-a cavity 8 and an outlet 9, for return ,of-the. cooling fluid. There is: a drainage outlet- 10 normally closed by plug 11. The transverse members 3, 4, have hollow radial headers 12'. 13, respectively, projecting radially toward each other in the plane of the blower shaft 14. The radiator pipes 15 are semi circular and each communicates at the bottom with interior of headers 12 and at the top with interior of header 13.

The cylindrical space determined by these radiator pipes is spanned at the rear by bridge member or casing 16 and at the front by 17. These bridge members 16, 17, serve as supports for the blower shaft 14. The rotor of the blower comprises a hub portion 18, rotathey are concave in the direction of rotation for effective intake, acceleration and expulsion of the air.

Surrounding the rotor is arranged a series of independent stationary vanes to receive the air tangentially and deliver it radially. They may be mounted between annular members 22, 22, and as in the ease of the rotor, the vanes 32 may be integral with the side annular members.

By inspection of Fig. 3, it will be evident that, as indicated by the arrows thereon, the delivery of the draft is substantially radial and that the flow on the rear or right hand side of header 12 and on the left hand side of header 13 is quite as great as at any other point in the periphery. Moreover, the forcing outward of the air is more definitely uniform for all parts of the periphery intermediate the headers so that the draft in a horizontal plane is not so much cut down by the proximity of the sides 1 and 2.

Vhile I have shown the radiator as fitted with an upper inlet 7 at the top and an out let 9 at the bottom, it is obvious that the direction of flow of the cooling medium may be reversed. liurthermore, bottom inlet and. outlet may be located in the lower member 3 so that the 'adiator pipes 15 will act in accordance with the up-flow steam condensing method set forth in my Patent 1,378,724, granted May 17, 1921.

It will be noted as to the deflecting vanes that they .are more numerous and more closely spaced than the blower vane; that by their position and. curvature they are adapted for initial engagement with the air approximately parallel with the tangential direction of the draft as projected from the blower, as well as for approximate radial discharge of the draft upon the radiator tubes; that the vanes are preferably omitted at points opposite the ends of the headers; and that the next vane following the header has its discharge end a substantial distance beyond the header. From the latter feature it follows that the draft will be fully as strong on the rear side of the header as at any other point in the circumference.

I claim:

1. A radiator for cooling or condensing purposes comprising a radiator annulus and a centrifugal blower supported within the annulus, in combination with an'nularly arranged vanes located circumferentially, outside of the blower, in inclined positions so as to engage edgewise and to deflect radially the centrifugally blown draft.

A radiator for cooling or condensing purposes comprising radiator pipes arranged as an annulus and a centrifugal blower supported within the annulus, in combination with annularly arranged vanes located between the blower and the radiator pipes and shaped so as to deflect radially the centrifugally blown draft.

The combination specified by claim 1 with the further feature of oppositely-facing and parallel, annular members, between the rotary blower and radiator pipes, forming front and rear supports for the deflecting vanes and front and rear confining walls for the draft.

1. The combination specified in claim 1 with the further feature that the deflecting vanes are curved and set for initial engagement approximately parallel with the tangential draft from the blower and for approximately radial discharge of the draft toward the radiator tubes.

The combination specified in claim 2 with the further feature that the radiator pipes are supported by headers extending radially into the radiator annulus, and the deflecting vanes are omitted at points opposite the inwardly presented ends of said headers.

Signed at Plainfield in the county of Union and State of New Jersey this 10th day of September, A. D. 1921.

SAMUEL 1V. RUSHMORE. 

